This dissertation explores the issue of minority underrepresentation in K-12 educational leadership roles, examining its perceived causes and implications within academic settings. The research utilized a qualitative approach involving detailed surveys and interviews with school administrators from K-12 schools in Western North Carolina, Upstate…

This correlation study investigated the relationship between pre-kindergarten absenteeism and early literacy assessment scores of kindergarten students, focusing on gender, parents' education level, and school setting. The population consisted of 220 pre-kindergarten students from the Midlands region of South Carolina who attended a Title I and a…

The purpose of this quantitative correlational research was to examine the relationship between parents' satisfaction with school climate and fifth-grade students' achievement in English language arts (ELA) and math in South Carolina. The theoretical framework for this study included organizational climate and school climate theories. The study…

The South Carolina Department of Education and the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee developed an accountability system that informs the public of the status of public schools while meeting the mandate of state and federal law (Robinson, 2018). Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a U.S. Law that passed in December 2015 that governs the…

The purpose of this research was to explore the effects of organizational culture on teacher retention in Richland County School District 2 in Columbia, South Carolina. This qualitative phenomenological research explored the participants' experiences and perceptions of the phenomenon under study. This was done by interviewing 12 participants to…

Virtual learning is ever-changing and due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, it has grown in popularity. In the twenty-first century, technology has altered the way teachers deliver content and information to students. Virtual teachers are responsible for helping students learn new ways to teach with technology while also making sure they do well in…

This quantitative, correlational study explored the relationship between teacher retention and teachers' perception of high school learning and the social-physical environment along the "I-95 Corridor of Shame." Two regression analyses were conducted using a dataset of 68 observations taken from 17 "I-95 Corridor of Shame" high…

This study aimed to identify the factors that affect the job satisfaction and retention of special education teachers. The researcher sought to determine the factors affecting job satisfaction and retention among special education teachers in the Midlands of South Carolina and suggestions for improvement within those areas to assist in retaining…

Many students in rural schools have negative school safety perceptions. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research study was to investigate the school safety perceptions of students in rural elementary, middle, and high schools in a public school district in South Carolina. The school safety perceptions of students in grades three…

This ex post facto, causal-comparative, quantitative study examined variations in academic success of Early College High School (ECHS) students who completed a dual credit course in two separate classroom environments, specifically a high school classroom environment and a college classroom environment. The researcher sought to determine if a…

Teacher retention is a topic that, although often studied, continues to display troubling trends in America's public schools. South Carolina is no exception to the trend. Data from recent years indicate overall decreases in teacher retention, especially among the least experienced teachers with 5 or fewer years of classroom experience. Generation…

The existing retention literature focuses on White students and non-White students in predominantly White institutional (PWI) environments. Furthermore, prevailing literature tends to concentrate on varying factors that influence these students to be retained at their respective institutions. Retention factors in differing contexts, such as…

In South Carolina, much focus was applied to the End of Course Examinations Program, or EOCEP. The EOCEP was used to measure mastery of academic standards in gateway courses. School effectiveness and student proficiency were two areas measured by individual student outcomes. All public schools were subject to EOCEP testing in South Carolina.…

School climate is a well-studied issue in educational research. However, surveys of school climate tend to be analyzed using item-centered as opposed to person-centered methods. The current study evaluated the 2018 South Carolina School Climate Survey using advanced applications of mixture modeling in an attempt to identify latent profiles at the…

This research study focused on the theories that support and underpin the Nine Characteristics of High-Performing Schools. Much of the data presented about high-performing schools lack data about schools that are nontraditional; the nontraditional school, otherwise known as an alternative school or alternative learning placement, supports students…